livestock

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Eat 'Roo, Save Planet, Aussies Told

Cutting back on traditional livestock in favor of native fare better for environment: report

(Newser) - The Australian government's chief climate-change adviser says emissions could be drastically reduced if farmers and consumers switch from beef and lamb to kangaroo meat, the Australian reports. The marsupials emit much less methane than sheep and cows, the professor argues, and, as Australia heats up, are much better able to...

Pigs Savaged in PETA Farm Video

Undercover film shows workers beating sows, slamming piglets to ground

(Newser) - Undercover investigators for the anti-cruelty organization PETA have filmed shocking cruelty to pigs at an Iowa farm, AP reports. Pigs are seen being beaten with metal rods while a supervisor brags of jamming rods in sows' anuses. Unhealthy piglets are slammed against the floor and left to die writhing in...

As Feed Prices Climb, Minicows Moove In

Smaller cattle eat less, take up less space

(Newser) - As feed prices soar, some farmers are literally shrinking their operations by turning to minicows--cattle half as big as their full-size cousins. The trendy creatures produce proportionally more beef while eating less, some researchers say. They require less space and “don’t tear up the grounds as much as...

Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn

(Newser) - The EPA is considering a proposal from the governor of Texas to slash the amount of ethanol that oil companies are required to blend into gasoline to meet quotas, the New York Times reports. Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the EPA to cut the ethanol mandate in half, from...

NZ Farmers Gas About Sheep Flatulence Pollution Law

Fears that methane curb could ruin farms

(Newser) - In its quest to be the first carbon-neutral country, New Zealand is cracking down on methane emissions--and that means regulating the gas released by livestock, the Los Angeles Times reports. Farmers are worried a government proposal to fine them if their livestock exceed greenhouse-gas limits could leave many bankrupt—a...

Organic Meat Is Climate Culprit

Livestock raised indoors is better for environment, reports say

(Newser) - The gas production, need for space, and food requirements required by organic and free-range livestock hurt the environment more than their traditional counterparts, the BBC reports. Organic poultry can heat the earth some 45% more than indoor poultry, one group said; and a UN division found that farm animals heat...

UK Farmers Facing Tax for Cattle Outbreaks

Bird flu, foot and mouth, cost Britons $246M this year

(Newser) - UK farmers face an $82 million tax bill to pay for curbing cattle infections. Farmers are likely to gripe, the Guardian reports, because diseases have already slammed profits—and the government is to blame for leaking foot and mouth disease from a lab last summer. But the environment ministry is...

To Save the Earth, Gobble Chicken
To Save the Earth, Gobble Chicken

To Save the Earth, Gobble Chicken

Beef production worst, but vegetarian diet isn't eco-friendliest

(Newser) - When it comes to environmentally friendly eating habits, a vegetarian diet isn't necessarily the answer. PETA would have us believe that meat consumption is the single biggest cause of global warming, but the group is misinformed, Salon says—fossil fuels are to blame. To chow down ethically, steer clear of...

Sabotage Eyed In Outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth

Investigators target 'bio security' at labs making vaccine

(Newser) - British officials are pursuing the possibility that latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could be the result of sabotage, the Times reports. They've ruled out water leaks spreading the virus from a research lab to nearby farms,and have concluded that "release by human movement must be considered a real...

UK Inspects 3rd Foot and Mouth Case

Ban lifted, but farmers urged to be wary of big losses

(Newser) - A third suspected case of foot and mouth disease has been located in southern England, health officials said, as the EU lifted a ban on slaughtering animals but kept up the prohibition on exporting animal products. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that British veterinary investigators pinpointed two research labs they say...

Foot and Mouth Outbreak Traced to Lab

Vaccine may have leaked and spread to nearby farm

(Newser) - An English research lab is the likely source of a recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease, the Guardian reports. British government officials believe a batch of experimental vaccine leaked and spread to a nearby farm. Scientists were tipped to the possible leak by the fact that the strain of...

UK Cattle Test Positive for Foot-and-Mouth

New outbreak forces farm quarantine, ban on livestock transport

(Newser) - Britain faces its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in six years after a herd of beef cattle in Guildford tested positive, reports the Independent. The news forced Gordon Brown to cancel his vacation as the government introduced emergency measures banning all transportation of cattle and pigs and throwing up a...

Why Wall Street Is Bullish on Texas

Big tax breaks for firms at home on the range

(Newser) - Companies with Texas offices save thousands by hosting cattle or growing crops on their property, the WSJ reports. The state’s “agricultural exemption” grants hefty property tax breaks to firms devoting at least part of their land to preserving or cultivating nature. Fidelity saved more than $318,000 by...

High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor
High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor

High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor

Relief groups find resources, ability to help stretched thin

(Newser) - For the world's poorest people, the quantity and quality of food are increasingly at risk. Wholesale prices of  basic foods are 21% higher now than in 2005, with grain surging more than 30%. What's more, the total volume of food delivered by US-funded groups has declined 52% in the last...

Livestock Pigging Out on Junk Food
Livestock Pigging Out
on Junk Food

Livestock Pigging Out on Junk Food

Farmers are turning to leftover sweets as biofuel drives up the price of corn

(Newser) - The biofuel craze has doubled the price of corn in just a few years, forcing farmers from Pennsylvania to California find alternatives to feed their livestock. What they're coming up with is cookies, candy bars, cheese curls, breakfast cereal and french fries, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Stories 41 - 55 | << Prev